Samsung HW-Q990D review: The best soundbar just got better

Samsung home theater products have always had a good reputation, depending on who you’re talking to. But lately, the company has been hitting more triples and home runs, and the new Samsung HW-Q990D is proof of that. Last year’s HW-Q990C was fantastic as well, but it did catch a bit of grief due to lacking a few features. Mainly, the complaint against the HW-Q990C was the lack of HDMI 2.1, which ruffled a few feathers. But Samsung has addressed that issue with the new Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar and the best soundbar from last year, has just gotten better.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The Samsung HW-Q990D gains HDMI 2.1 which enables the much sought after 4K/120 passthrough capability. This will be especially useful for gamers who use a gaming console that has this capability. It’s also perfect for those using streaming devices with the same capability. There are other significant improvements and features, but HDMI 2.1 is really the star of the show for many users. Let’s jump right into the full review of the Samsung HW-Q990D and find out what this flagship soundbar has under its grill.

Samsung HW-Q990D — The Quick Take

The Samsung HW-Q990D is the second flagship soundbar that I’ve had a chance to review. My previous Samsung soundbar experiences have always been fantastic, and that experience holds here.

Everything that makes a Samsung soundbar is here, but your experience may vary depending on the TV you pair it with. If you have a Samsung TV that supports Q-Symphony sound, you will be getting the best of the best experience. If you don’t have a Q-Symphony sound compatible TV, then you’ll be getting a great experience and if you’ve never heard Q-Symphony, you won’t notice.

The Quick Take in this case is. The Samsung HW-Q990D is an incredible 11.1.4 surround soundbar that is easy to connect and performs with excellence as a main home theater sound source. I paired it with a Q-Symphony compatible TV and a Hisense short throw projector and in both cases, it sounded amazing. Samsung has added HDMI 2.1 to this year’s offering, and that is a plus. The MSRP is $1,999.99, but Samsung has already been running deals for a few hundred dollars off. It is pricey, but it is worth it.

Specifications

The Samsung Q990D has the following features and specifications:

• Number of Channels: 11.1.4
• Number of Speakers: 22
• Total Power (W): 656W
• Subwoofer Type (Active / Passive / Wireless, Built-in): Wireless
• Rear Surround Speaker Power (W): 210W
• Center Speaker: Yes
• Up-firing Speaker: Yes
• Side-firing speaker: Yes
• Front Wide-firing Speaker: Yes
• Subwoofer Power (W): 200W
• Wall Mounting: Yes
• Compatible Rear Speaker: Inbox
• Compatible Wireless Subwoofer: Inbox
• Multi Position Rear Speaker: Yes
• Farfield Voice expansion for TV: Yes
• Q-Symphony (2024): Yes
• Auto AV Sync: Yes
• Dolby:
  • Dolby ATMOS Dolby TrueHD
  • Dolby Digital Plus (ATMOS Music)
• DTS:
  • DTS:X DTS-HD HRA DTS-HD
  • MA DTS Express DTS 5.1ch
• Wireless Rear Speaker included: Yes
• Wide Range Tweeter: Yes
• Night Mode: Yes
• Hi-Res Audio Decoding: Yes
• LPCM: Multichannel
• SpaceFit sound (2.0): Yes
• Active Voice Amplifier(AVA): Yes
• Sound Modes: Surround Sound expansion, Game Pro, Standard, Adaptive Sound
• Voice enhance mode: Yes
• Private Rear Sound: Yes
• Sound Grouping: Yes
• 4K Video Pass: 120Hz
• HDR: HDR 10+
• HDMI In: 2
• HDMI Out: 1
• HDMI-CEC: Yes
• HDMI ARC: Yes(eARC)
• Auto Power Link: Yes
• Digital Audio Input (Optical): 1
• Bluetooth Power On: Yes
• Chromecast: Yes
• One Remote Control: Yes
• Wireless Dolby ATMOS: Yes
• Tidal (Hi-Fi) Connect: Yes
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Spotify(Hi-Fi) Connect: Yes
• AirPlay: Yes
• Bluetooth Version: 5.2
• Rear Speaker Dimensions (inches) (W × H × D): 5 × 7.9 × 5.5
• Rear Speaker Weight: 7.5 (lbs)
• Subwoofer Size (inches): 8.6 × 16.2 × 16.1
• Set Weight (lbs): 50.3
• Main Unit Weight (lbs): 17.0
• Subwoofer Weight (lbs): 25.8
• Main Unit Size (inches): 48.5 × 2.7 × 5.4
• Package Size (inch): 51.5 × 23.4 × 10.9
• Package Weight (lbs): 62.2

What’s In The Box

• Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar
• Subwoofer
• Satellite Surrounds
• Hardware and Cables (HDMI 2.1 included)
• Remote
• Manuals and Documentation

Design

The last high-end Samsung soundbar I had for review was the HW-Q800C. This is the first 900 series of soundbars I’ve had a chance to review. But this Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar retains the design language of last year’s models. That is not a bad thing.

The basic shape and construction has remained mostly the same, I love the aluminum construction and lack of mesh cloth. The old soundbars with mesh cloth over the speakers were too difficult to clean. This is much easier to clean dust and debris from it.

The overall look of the Samsung HW-Q990D is nice, though I wouldn’t call it a piece of art. Despite the lack of beauty, it’s not ugly, and when placed directly in front of the TV, it’s hardly noticeable. You can also mount it on the wall with wall bracket mounts.

Taking a tour around the soundbar, you will find the Multi-Function, Power, Volume, and Mic buttons on the top. These are clicky buttons, not touch-sensitive, and I prefer this. The front of the Samsung HW-Q990D houses a small LED display showing the current status and mode of the soundbar. It does turn off after a few seconds, so it’s not on all the time, which is a nice touch so it doesn’t distract from watching TV.

Moving down to the bottom of the Samsung HW-Q990D, we find the power port, service port, Optical port, HDMI port, and HDMI eARC port. That’s all you’ll see on this puppy; the rest is high-quality aluminum and plastics.

The remote is also simple but allows you to control the source, Bluetooth pairing, muting, sound mode, playback, woofer level, and tone control. While you don’t need the remote to turn the volume up and down, you can use your TV remote for that; I would keep the soundbar remote handy for other Samsung-centric adjustments. Though, if you have a compatible Samsung TV, your Samsung TV remote should work for those too.

Like most Samsung remotes, the design is simple and to the point. I recommend reading the manual because you may miss many features and controls on the remote if you don’t research it.

Overall, the design of the HW-990D is nice and straightforward, yet it is robust and well-built. It’s not ugly; if you place it correctly, it blends right in without sticking out. Removing the cloth mesh covering and just making it a more industrial design is perfectly fine with me, less mess, easier cleanup.

Ease of Use/Setup

Using and setting up the Samsung HW-Q990D is straightforward. If you’re using a non-Samsung TV, all you need to do is plug it in, and you’re on your way. If you’re using a Samsung TV, the TV should detect the soundbar and ask if you want to set it up, go through the quick and simple setup process, and you’re in. You might be asked about Q-Symphony and other Samsung-centric features, but it is straightforward.

I opted to place the HW-Q990D in front of the Samsung OLED we have here; it is recommended not to slip the soundbar under the TV. Putting it in front of the screen allows the up-firing speakers to work properly. Not to mention the side-firing speakers. I found the soundbar fit nicely on the stand in front of the TV and I had no issues viewing content. In other words, it didn’t block my viewing experience.

You can mount the HW-Q990D on the wall using brackets and hardware. You can place it under the TV if it is also wall mounted. Or if your TV is on a stand, you could put it behind and mount the soundbar on the wall behind the TV. But be aware that the front-firing speakers may be blocked, depending on how high or low you mount the soundbar. I recommend finding studs, but you could also use heavy-duty wall anchors.

I also tried using the Samsung HW-Q990D with our Hisense projector and opted to mount it on the wall below the ALR screen. It fit nicely there and I actually found that I preferred the wall mount method better than the in front of the TV method.

Samsung’s SpaceFit sound will automatically calibrate the sound to your room. A built-in microphone inside the subwoofer and the soundbar ensure sound settings are auto-optimized and calibrated to match the dimensions of your room. This system works very well and delivers an excellent experience. And if you have a compatible Q-Symphony Samsung TV, the system will detect that and you will be able to use the TV speakers and the soundbar together. You can change that at any time in the settings, but why would you?

Overall, the Samsung HW-Q990D is straightforward and effortless to set up. Once everything is in place, you don’t need to worry about anything else but finding the right movie to experience the fullness of this soundbar.

Photo Gallery

Sound/Features

Undoubtedly, one of the key features in sound of the Samsung HW-Q990D is Q-Symphony sound, I love it. When you pair a compatible Samsung TV with this soundbar, you will have access to both device’s speakers and they will be in sync. This isn’t a new feature but it is one of the best features Samsung has developed in the past few years. Well worth using, if you have the ability.

Eleven front facing speakers, one subwoofer, four upfiring speakers, and the two surround satellites (on just the soundbar package) offer up room filling True Dolby Atmos Sound. As I mentioned, add a compatible Samsung TV and you have even more sound.

Samsung also allows you to experience Wireless Dolby Atmos sound without connecting HDMI cables at all. I had no issues with this but I still prefer to wire my soundbar. Though, I did appreciate the wireless surround speakers and subwoofer.

The Samsung HW-Q990D also comes with SpaceFit Sound Pro, which calibrates the sound to your room and space. There are many other soundbars that do this as well, and I think the feature does an impressive job of mapping the environment to deliver quality results.

A newer feature on the Samsung HW-Q990D is, Adaptive Sound and Active Voice Analyzer. This enhances voices and dialogue so you can hear voices better, even at low volume, with intelligently optimized audio. Scenes are analyzed in real time to pull out the most important audio based on the type of content. The Active Voice Analyzer breaks down room noise so that onscreen voices are always optimized.

I found this feature to be hit-and-miss, there were times it worked well and other times I wasn’t sure it was working at all. I’m sure there will be improvements down the road, but it’s not a feature I see myself using all that much, if at all.

For gamers, Samsung offers Game Mode Pro that uses the up-firing speakers, acoustic beam and strong woofers to produce an all around more immersive gaming experience. I don’t game a lot but I can confirm that the sound was very immersive when playing Xbox.

For Samsung mobile users, with a device running Android 8.1 or higher, you have, Tap Sound. Just tap the soundbar with your phone and start listening. Tap sound is only compatible with select Samsung mobile devices, with Android 8.1 and above. Tap Sound requires the SmartThings app to activate and set up. This service only works when Soundbar and mobile are on.

Overall, the Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar is the best Samsung has and it is fantastic. I enjoyed it more using a Samsung TV with Q-Symphony sound, but it is just as good on other brands too. It’s immersive, loud, and the ATMOS content is astounding.

Price/Value

Clocking in at $1,999.99, the Samsung HW-Q990D isn’t a cheap proposition. Though, Samsung has already been offering some deals, so be sure to check their website. Here’s what I have to say about the value. Buying this soundbar should set you up for a good number of years, five years or more. So if you think about it in those terms, you are getting your money’s worth with this soundbar. If you have the Benji’s, buy it.

Wrap Up

There is a lot to like about the Samsung HW-Q990D. Samsung TV owners with compatible Q-Symphony TVs will benefit greatly from this soundbar. But everyone who has the cash to plunk down on this guy, should consider it. It is a bit on the heavier side, but that is understandable, considering the number of speakers involved. Some users, in smaller spaces, might find this to be too large. There are other smaller options from Samsung that will work in smaller rooms.

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